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Gaithersburg voters headed to the polls Tuesday to elect a mayor and two council members.
Voter turnout could surpass that in 2007, when 3,438 residents cast ballots and recorded the city's highest turnout ever, according to City Attorney Lynn Board. Unofficial records showed that by 3 p.m., 2,049 residents had cast ballots.
Mayor Sidney A. Katz faced newcomer Richard Koch. Incumbent councilmen Henry F. Marraffa Jr. and Michael A. Sesma were competing with Tom Rowse for two spots on the City Council.
Turnout was steady throughout the day, according to election judges.
"The last time I was here, we had a lot come in the evenings," said Nathaniel Butler, an election judge at City Hall, who said he saw "a nice influx of people throughout the morning."
Katz, 59, has been mayor since 1998 and an elected leader in Gaithersburg since 1978. Gaithersburg council members Jud Ashman, Cathy Drzyzgula, Michael A. Sesma and Ryan Spiegel endorsed him.
Koch, 55, is a Kentlands resident and regional real estate developer. Fraternal Order of the Police Lodge 117 endorsed him.
Marraffa, 71, has served on the City Council for 15 years. The longtime businessman and contractor has chaired the economic development committee for the National League of Cities.
Sesma, 56, a neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, is completing his first four-year term on the council. Council members Jud Ashman and Cathy Drzyzgula endorsed him.
Rowse, 39, a Deer Park resident and businessman is a newcomer to city politics. He is chairman of the city's Olde Towne Advisory Committee and serves on the Deer Park Neighborhood Watch.
A polling station in the Kentlands, where Koch lives, saw the day's highest turnout by 3 p.m. with 517 ballots cast, according to unofficial records compiled by Board.
A steady stream of voters roamed in and out of the polling station at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Kent Gardens Circle, where Koch and Katz greeted voters.
Several people said they were voting for the first time in city elections.
"I just moved to Gaithersburg two years ago so it's good to get involved," said Amy Sklut, 29. "I'm voting for Koch because he is about change. You know, give someone else a chance, see what they can do for the city."
Public safety is on her mind, she said.
"To keep the area safe, I think. That's the biggest concern — cutting crime," she said.
Karen Gresh, 50, a 10-year resident of the Kentlands, also voted in city elections for the first time.
"I like the new person running for mayor," she said. "I think we need a change. It's exciting."
Building business and increasing employment are a key concern for voters.
"I'm concerned that we need to attract and retain businesses here and we need to keep our tax base up," said Ken Smondrowski, 40, a Lakelands resident whose daughter attends Rachel Carson Elementary School and said overcrowding is always an issue.
Brian Ddumba, 34, a six-year city resident who lives in Potomac Oaks Condominiums, said his key concerns were employment and job creation. Ddumba voted at City Hall, as he has in previous elections.
Like Ddumba, Betsy Bart, 75, of Deer Park, said she is interested in maintaining the city's low tax rate, an issue on which all the candidates agree.
"I don't want to see my city go into debt unnecessarily," said Bart, a lifelong city resident. "I just don't want to see them spending willy-nilly."
